Sure, soccer goddess
Brandi Chastain's saucy exhibitionism at the Women's World
Cup Final revealed the sports bra as a sexy piece of gear,
but c'mon, she hardly needed the help. The real queen of the
sports bra is that take-it-to-the-hoop, double-D-flappin'
fly girl who prays for the day she doesn't need to wear two
bras to batten down her buoys. We look at tops specifically
designed for the full-figured girl who got game.
1. Frog Bra
($29 from Title 9 Sports, [800] 609-0092)
First, a word about boobs. The bad news is that women's
breasts are supported by ligaments, not muscle, and once
you stretch 'em out, they're never going back. No matter
how much you exercise, eat right or slather on cocoa butter,
you can't train a stray ligament. The good news is that
serious science is now going into sports bra R&D. Biomechanical
testing by Nike showed that support, not compression, is
the answer to motion control. Still, many bigger ladies
are used to the smooshed-hooters-equals-protective-undergarb
equation. If you feel safe only in a straitjacket, the Frog
Bra is for you. Put out by Title 9 Sports, a catalog company
dedicated to women's sportswear, the airy cotton/spandex/nylon
bra will wrap you tighter than King Tut. The flattening
Frog Bra extends low on the torso to tether better. Because
this baby sure don't lift and separate, you're likely to
fall victim to the bemoaned uniboob syndrome, so please
don't wear it out into the real world--you'll look as if
you've got an inner tube tucked under your shirt. Call me
old-school, but when I played soccer in the Frog Bra, I
felt secure.
2. Champion
Action Shape Sports Bra
($35 at Lady Foot Locker, Washington Square Mall,
9640 SW Washington Road, Tigard, 620-8999)
The first sports bra ever, the Jogbra, was created 22 years
ago--with a doctored jockstrap as the prototype. This two-woman
venture evolved into Champion Jogbra, and today the company
boasts an enormous battery of bras. If you crave compression,
there's a whole line that caters to that style, and if you're
more into motion management, it's got that covered, too.
The Action Shape line, like Janet Jackson, is all about
control. Unfortunately, with its thick, adjustable straps
and massive front panel, it's more Nurse Ratchet than nasty
pop star. Despite the thoughtful design, I found the many
adjustment straps slightly cumbersome and annoying. And
it's too damn ugly for the locker room, let alone an athletic
field.
3. Nike Inner
Actives Encapsulated Scoopback Bra
($43
at Niketown, 930 SW 6th Ave., 221-6453)
You can bash Nike all you want for its labor practices
and the general Nikeness that pervades this city, but just
remember one thing: There's a reason this company is where
it's at today--and it's not solely because of crafty advertising.
Nike is obsessive about the science of sports. And if that
means taking 30 women and pasting reflective pieces of tape
on their upper bodies to measure how much their boobs move
in certain bras, well, the company will do it. And it did.
According to Nike's studies, the Inner Actives line allowed
20 percent less vertical breast movement than the Champion
Action Shape (see left). I played tennis in this one and
really appreciated the lightweight wicking material, though
the wide, rigid band around the bottom of the bra started
to irritate me after about the third game. Though this isn't
the Brandi Chastain model (that's only for A/B-cup ladies),
it does look good should you decide to flash a crowd.
4. Donna Karan
Intimates
($50 at Nordstrom, various
locations)
Donna Karan is not really a name you associate with sports,
unless you consider chasing after a cab with a bagel in
your hand athletic, so I was leery of this bra. First, it
has an underwire that runs on the outside of the cup instead
of the inside, and second, it has odd pockets flanking each
of the inner cups. But I went hiking in this doodad, and
it kept both of my ducks in a row--with no uniboob action.
On the downside, the nylon-Lycra blend is too meaty to wick
well; in more boisterous sports you might get waterlogged.
Also, I saw someone modeling this same bra as outerwear
at Lilith Fair. Girls, please don't make this same mistake!
Just because it's Donna Karan doesn't mean you gotta show
it to the world.
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Willamette Week | originally
published September 15,
1999
|
